Monday, August 25, 2014

Happy birthday to Lily and MOM!!! And mom still no package and if you sent it by fed-x or UPS I will not get it till transfers so you have to send it by the post office.So I will probably get it Tuesday or Thursday because that is the only 2 days mail comes in Sterling and if I dont get it then then it will be on September 2 at then end of the transfer. WHOA!! it has already almost been 6 week in the field!

Well this week not much happened it was a fast week but slow in the work because there are over 30 churches here in Sterling and everyone is just fine with where they are at. They will ask us about our church but they dont really care for the lessons but they are still nice to us most of the time haha.

Well in my mission so far I have had to do a lot of conversation and just talking with people to try to help them feel better, visit with them and trying to help them out. Like this week we went and saw D_, a convert to the church. He is hoping to go on a mission cause he is 20 years old, he is saving up on his own cause he doesn’t really have the support of his parents, it’s really hard for them to understand what he is doing. And on top of saving up he is living on his own and paying for everything he has. Last night his boss called him when we were there and the first words I heard his boss say is "D_ I don't know how to tell you this and it is hard to do..." Well that is all I heard and so he was let go and is now with out a job and has to go back with his parents, unless he can find a job within 3 days.

So after the call he was very down and just was wondering “why did this happen to me, I mean I am doing everything I am suppose to do and going to church and everything but it is not fare”. So me and Elder Torres started to teach him about trials and how we have them in our lives to make us become better people. We taught him how his thoughts about second guessing is from Satan putting these thoughts in his head, Satan wants you to feel like your are doing the wrong things like paying tithing going to church and so on. So we talked for about an hour and half on this. And I’ll tell you what, seeing people struggle is no fun at all it is really hard. I have found out about myself that through my life when ever someone close to me was struggling and having a hard time it would make it very hard for me aswell because it is hard to see someone down that I care about and have gotten to know very well. This just make me think how hard this is for me and I my not know exactly what they are going through, and then I think about Christ and how He does know exactly what they are going through and how they are feeling! And because of Him we will never be alone during these times because when he suffered for us he walked that path being alone so we would not have to! When I see this happen and people get down not only do I now say “ask God for help and turn to Him and He will be there for you”, but then I have found that I have to ask for help so I can have an a better idea on how to help them and just be there for them. And this gift the Lord has given me that it is somewhat easy for me to care and try to help people and then try to help them feel better and become happy. It is the best feeling to have when you are helping someone you care about and want to be happy. And that is what the Lord wants is for us to be happy and all I can say is He is the best at doing that as long as we have faith that He can help us and realize that He will be there to lighten the load we have but we will still have to do our part. The reason for that is so we can learn and grow from trials we are having and to try to become more Christ like in our day to day lives so when that day comes we can hear the words, "well done thou good and faithful servant", and then be able to live with Him again forever! That is what He wants for us is to live with Him and He will do everything possible to help us reach that goal as long as we do our part in following Him and try to become like Him.

Well this week has been great and we have done as much as we can and we have done lots of service for people, that always feels good, helping people out! We did a lot of that on Saturday, we helped a young couple in our ward remove tile and get their place ready for them to lay down a new wooden floor. PS: Paul it has happen what you and I joked about... how my companion thought I was crazy cause I would just keep going and going and not stop, he would be very tired and take a break and then tell me you need to stop your making me look bad! haha. But that was fun on Saturday we were there for about 4hr's helping them along with one other guy from the ward!

Well I love you all and hope all is going well back at home, you are in my prayers and I hope you have a fun week this week!!!

Love Elder Urry

PS

Kimmy is getting baptized this Thursday and so that will be a grate experience for her and her husband to watch and see what he has to look foreword to in 4 months or so!

Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Well this week has been so crazy with everything you can think of! Just summarize the last 3 days in a sentence it might be "Emergency move". There was a man who went crazy about 1 block away and there were about 25 cop cars every were surrounding his house. Then K_ and D_ interview Sunday and then a baptism that same day as well! So I have seen alot this week and I dont have time to tell you everything but I do have time to tell you about 2 things.

So the first one is the baptism. The man who was getting baptized is named D_ and this was a unique experience. 3 years ago D_ was excommunicated (which means his name was taken off the records of the church allowing him to take advantage of the atonement and seek forgiveness.) For about 2 1/2 years he was doing his best and during that time he had not had any visits from missionaries, he was trying to battle his way back on his own, but it was very hard for him. Then Elder Almada and Elder Torres were companions for 1 transfer and they saw him a lot, they were there for him. Then things really started to move along. But then Elder Almada was transferred to Greeley, he is there now and goes home at the end of this transfer. For the last 3 weeks we have been going to see him once a week just to vist and then share a message with him and he loves it so much and always wants us to come so he can feel the spirit again and enjoy that feeling. So yesterday he was able to re-enter the waters of baptism. The spirit was so strong and powerful but it was even stronger at the end when he asked the branch president "can I bare my testmony real quick?" He just talked about the power of the atonement in his life and in these past 3 years he has been working so hard for this day and he was so happy that he could say at last he was clean once again and could have the Holy Ghost in his life again. I mean this just strengthened my testimony on the atonement and how someone had something like this happen and fought his way back so he could have the spirit with him once more. And the one he was fighting was Satan and all the trials he was going through. But I cannot describe how powerful and amazing this was to see and it is just a witness to me that there is always a way to come back after messing up and be back on the path so we can live with our Savior and Heavenly Father once more. It is because of Christ and what He did for us and how much He went through so we could live with them again. We are all His children and He wants every last one of us to return with Him. The atonement has become so powerful to me and I am so grateful for this. Also, this week I got to read my patriarchal blessing and it said that "you will be so grateful for what Christ did for you." And I can tell you that is becoming more and more true each and every day.

Well now the seconded thing is K_ and D_ were able to be interviewed yesterday and K_ will be getting baptized on August 28th, 2014 so that will be so cool for D_ to see and what he has to look forward to because he has to wait 4 months and still be attending church and all other things like read, praying and doing what he is suppose to. And then President Brown will write Church Headquarters and ask for permission for him to be baptized even though he is on probation and will be on it for 1 year. But he is strong and I know he will be fine and able to do it.

Well this has been a great week I love you all and hope you have a great week!

Monday, August 11, 2014

Well this has been a good week for us with less active people from the Sterling Ward! We go see them everyday and just read a chapter or 2 out of the Book of Mormon and then talk about it with them and see what they like and how they felt about what we were reading. And just from doing this we got 10 less active people to come to church this week and they had a very good time. But we are worried about a convert named A__ because he has not been to church for 2 weeks and he started to drink again. He is a very severe alcoholic and the last time he drank it took him 2 or 3 months to come back to church. But that is not even the bad part, he has a family to take care of and he is without a job now cause of what has happened with him. So we are going to keep seeing him and try to work with him because he has had a rough life and a very very hard time up till he came to church and was taught the gospel. He was in prison and got into a lot of trouble but he has changed his name because of people in his past that are out looking for him and dont want him or his family alive. So we a very worried and dont want him to go back to that cause that could end up very bad and could end sadly.

Well this week we met with D__ and K__ again but we had to put off their baptisms because of some things they got into in the past and so now they need to meet with President Brown instead of the zone leaders. They will be meeting with him this Sunday and then we will go from there and see what President Brown will tell us to do. But we are happy they told us so they can fix these things and are able to use the atonement and go through the repentance process which if they go through, will help them build their testimony and grow. But they do have good support with the family they are staying with and they are helping them alot!

Well that is about it because we had to leave Sterling for couple of days this week to go to Fort Collins for a zone meeting and a training meeting. But while I was there I got to go out with another Elder named Elder Blue and that was crazy cause a member called us to come over because 3 days early she tried to take her own life but she failed, but she lied to the doctors so they would let her out. Now she is back at home with her roommate but she has tried this 7 times. She is not mentally stable and it is scary because we had to talk here down and just get her to relax. But now there are people who love and care for her and they would not want her to die. She is a good person, she has just been through terrible things that are absolutely horrible, which has caused her to want to do this so many times. But we were able to help her some and Elder Blue and his companion will keep going over there for a while just to help her and protect her from trying again and I will keep her in my prayers. But we were able to get her some help so that will be good.

Well hope all goes well this week, miss you all but I know why I am out here and it is for the right reasons! But I love you all and look forward to hearing from you next week!

Love Elder Urry

PS Mom why did you send the package to the MTC instead of the mission home, cause I think they will send it back to you cause I am not there any more I am in the field... But anyways I am sending a letter home today so Steve hope you get it soon!

(Haha, I sent Jeff a small package but for some reason he misunderstood my letter and thought I sent it to Provo, but it will get to the mission home on Thursday and hopefully he should have it by the weekend.)

Monday, August 4, 2014

This week has been great filled with a lot of experiences which have built my testimony of the gospel so much on different subjects.

Well we have been teaching a couple named D__ and K__ and they are very strong and have committed to be baptized on the 22nd of this month which will be very cool and fun to see. They have some close friends that are going to be baptizing them!

But that is not what was my favorite part of the week, cause on Thursday I went on exchanges for the 1st time and I was sent to a Spanish area and so it was hard for me to understand cause I don't know any Spanish at all! So my comp would just do all the talking and I would sit there and listen to him and the Spirit and let him teach. But then one time the spirit was so strong and powerful that when he started to talk about the 1st vision and Joseph Smith, the Lord blessed me with the power of the gift of tongues and from the time he started the 1st vision to the end of that part of the lesson I understood every word he said in Spanish!! I wish I could explain better how this felt but it makes me almost speechless just because of what the Lord can bless his children with when He feels they need it at this time. So after my companion finished that part of the lesson, the investigator understood some English so I just bore my testimony in English and then we closed up the lesson and left with the spirit being SO STRONG and it felt amazing and I felt so tired because of what had just happen to me! It is things like this that makes me want to share the gospel with people because the Lord want every one of His children to return and live with him again!!

This week for me and having this happen to me was one of the best experiences I have ever had throughout my life and while being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints!!!

Also Kyson that is way cool man good job on your talk and sharing it all by yourself that takes a brave kid to do that with out his mom and dads help! Well I hope everyone has a good week this week and that all will go well for all of you!